Reel reversing drive



July 21, 1953 J. L. CLUGH 2,646,229

REEL REVERSING DRIVE original Filed Jan. 25. 1945 2 shetsL-shet' 1 July 21, 1953 J.'| cLouGH 2,646,229

REEL REVERSING DRIVE Original Filed Jan. 25, 1943 2 SheetspSheet 2 mvENToR Jfea/VE Chaz/6H BY A ATTORNEY.

Patented July V21, y.1.953

`UNIV-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE REEL REVERSING DRIVE Jerome Clough, Milwaukee, Wis. Y

1 Original application January V25, 194:3, 'Serial No.

473,508, now 'Patent-Nc. 2,521,284, dated September 5, 1950. Divided and this application February 3, 1950, Serial No. 146,042 Y `l v This invention relates to improvements in reel reversing drive. division of my Patent No. 2,521,284, granted September 5, 1950, entitled Authorizer.` v,

AIt is the primary object of the `.invention to provide novel power driven means automatically operable subject to the lcontrol of an indexing selector for enabling a credit operator to determine in the shortest possible space of time the credit rating of an applicant Ifor credit. The machine has particular utility in department stores, where persons desiring to use their charge accounts frequently have to wait while the clerk consultsthe credit department. 'It is urgently necessary to locate the oustomers name and s credit rating as rapidly as possible in `order not to keep the customer waitingior an undue length of time. l Y

" It is a further important object cf the inventionto provide a compensating drive for reels between which the namebelt is wound and unwound, it being desirable that the winding and unw'inding reels should be operated at diliering rates compensatory for the variation in effectiveY vdiameter thereof so that the name belt will be unwound from one reel atsubstantially the same rate of linear travel at whch'it is` Wound upon the other.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent torthose skilled in the art upon analysis of the following disclosure thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of an authorizer The vpresent:application is a v -9 claims. ,(01. 242-55) At the display station the machine selectively Vdisplays Ione or more na'mesf-and credit `ratings Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View in perspective of a latch used in conjunction with the' mechanism shown in'Fig. 4.V y

Like parts are identied by the same reference characters throughout Vthe several views.

The authorizer comprises a cabinet designated by reference character 35 in Fig.1. net has an index table 3l and a display station represented` by the Window ,33 Fig. l..

This cabicarried by a name-belt which comprises the vsec-- tional belt 42 in the device shown in Fig. l. The name belt is wound from one reel to another subject to the control of electrical selecting .mechanism as will now be described. Y l

Regardless of how the name belt t2 is constructed,V it vpasses between reels 59 and Se (Fig. 1) about sprocket pulley 6|, idler pulley 62, and take-up pulley 63. It is desirable that thesproc-ket pulley El move in exact accordance with the belt because this pulley serves to correlate belt movement.Y with the movement of the electrical rcontrol parts.

Take-up pulley 63 is mounted on a 'carriage 65 movable in a generally vertical direction in a guideway 66 whereby the weight of the carriage and the take-up pulley 63 keep the belt '42 taut and alford suflicient compensation to permit of day to day changes in the length of the beltoocasioned by the insertion of additional names and the removalvof other names. In the normal department store practice the change in belt length will be nominal over a long period of time.

The secondary reel l2 and sprocket i3 are connected with reels 59 and 60 to turn therewith. A tape or tension belt l5 is wound upon the secondary reels 12 of the respective main reels 59 and to connect the main reels vand to unwind from one offsuchV reels and wind upon the other in` order to maintain the desired ratio so' that the effective diameterl of the secondary reel will in each instance change in the same ratio to the thicknesses of the respective belts as the veliective diameter of the main reel connected therewith. Thus the linear travel of the tape vand the name belt toor from a given reel assembly willbealike at all speeds of reel rotation.

It is not necessary that the tape run directly from one reel to the other, and in the construction herein disclosed it does not do so. As clearly appears in Fig. 3, the tape 15 passes from the lower reel assembly to anidler pulley ll from whichit extends downwardly and yabout, a driving pulley 'I8 and thence upwardly past another f idler 19 to the secondary reel 12 of the upper reel assembly.

It will be apparent that the tape will serve to limit the tension on the name belt. This belt or web can be virtually floated from one reel to another because all motion transmission between the two reels is effected by the tape 15.

In order to permit of motion transmission in both directions and to complete the connection between the reel assemblies to assure that neither will overrun and that each will be positively driven, there is a second connection between the reel assemblies opposed in tension to the tension of the tape 15. This is provided by the chain 80 which operates around the respective sprockets 13. Since the chain and sprocket connection does not provide compensation for changes Vin rate of reel rotation due to changes in effective diameter as the name belt and the tape are respectively wound and unwound therefrom, it is necessary to provide take-up at tWo points in the length of the chain 80. In practice it is preferred that chain 80 be an endlesschain'. It is guided about the idlers 8|, 82, 83, 85 and 88 in one of its runs between the sprockets 13 and about the idlers 81, 88 and 89 in the other of its runs between such sprockets. Idler 81 and idler 19 are coaxial and may be connected.

Idler 88 subjects the chain to strong bias.

This may be done by mounting idler 88 upon a heavy oounterweight 90 guided by a lever 9| pivoted to the cabinet at 92. The action of gravity is augmented by connection of the counterweight through a cable 93 to a biasing spring 911 which is connected to the idler 85. The cable provides a connection between the bights of the chain which pass about sprockets 88 and '85 respectively. In the operation of the device it will be found that with all of the name belt on one reel or the other, the sprocket 88 will beV at its most extended position, this being the lowest position of theweight as Shown in Fig. 3. Conversely, the sprocket 85 will be in its least extended position (the upward position in which such sprocket is illustrated in Fig. 3). As the belt winds onto the empty reel from the full reel, the sprocket 88 will be drawn upwardly toward an intermediate point and will then move downwardly again so that when the name belt has fully passed from one reel to the other both sprockets will be restored substantially to their original positions. Since the sprocket 85 will move downwardly at substantially the same rate at which sprocket 88 moves upwardly, the cable 93 provides a movable anchorage for spring 94 with the result that the tension of spring 94 on sprocket 85 will remain substantially constant, as will the bias on sprocket 88.

The system of reels is a. closed system so far as the application of motion thereto is concerned. Moreover, the name belt is not a component element of the motion transmission system. All of the controls hereinafter mentioned and all of the operations of the driving mechanism, can be carried on even if the name belt is not present in the machine except that in this particular instance the electric commutator mechanism happens to be driven from the name belt rather than from some of the other parts having correlated movement.

While the power may be applied `to the system at any point, I have already indicated that in the present device it is applied through the friction surface pulley 18 to the tape 15. The power so applied is derived from 3110i@ 95 Y les the respective pulleys.

4 Y Y through belt 96 which drives a pulley 91 (Figs. 1 and 4) on shaft 98. This shaft carries clutch disks 99 and |00 between which a driven element comprising pulleys 10| and |02 is axially shiftable to engage with the clutch disks 99, complementary disks |03 and |90 carried by A shifting lever |05 for shifting the driven clutch set so that either pulley |0| or |02 may be driven from shaft 98, is arranged to be operated by solenoid |03 (preferably provided with a dashpot |01). The armature |08 of solenoid |06 preferably carries a latch |09 which, in the inward movement of the armature, is caught by a detent H8 subject to release by a manually controlled Bowden wire Il, as will hereinafter be explained. The inward movement of the armature which is thus arrested by the detent, is the movement which clutches pulley |0| to shaft 98this being the low speed pulley.

The respective low speed and high speed pulleys and |02 are belt connected with complementary pulleys on the shaft H5 of a speed reducer IIS through which the driving pulley 11iv is actuated toV operate the reel assemblies as above described.

I provide at H8 a brake for shaft 98 'which is self-applying and electromagnetically released. As shown in Fig. 1, the brake. H8 may comprise a brakedisk l |80 fixed on the end of shaft 98. Coacting therewith through the intervening lining ||8| is a stationary disk H82 comprising the bottom of a pan-shaped member |83 guided for reciprocation axially of the shaft by means of one or more pins H84 xed to the casing. The compression spring ||85 acts on such member in a direction to engage the stationary disk H82 with the brake lining ||8| to arrest the movement of shaft 98. Whenever the motors which actuate the respective reels are energized, however, the brake is released electromagnetically by the energization of the solenoid H86, the armature |I81 of which is connected to the lever l |88. The link |89 pivoted to such lever extends r into the brake housing and is connected with the cross bar of pan-shaped member H93 so that energization of the solenoid will release the brake. Whenever the solenoid is deenergized,

the spring H85 will reengage the brake. A set of relays H9, |20, |2I and |22 at the bottom of the cabinet control the forward and reverse direction of operation' of the motor 95, the high and low speed positions of the driving clutches, and the functioning of the brake. See the wiring diagram in Fig. 26. lIhe relays enable me to use low voltage in my electrical control and indexing system as now to be described.

As will be observed in Fig. 1, the keyboard 31 projects from the front of the cabinet at a convenient point to be immediately-above the operators lap when the operator sits directly before the display station 39.

It may be stated here that the keyboard shown is a simplified form of keyboard which, in actual practice, may preferably' be replaced by any self-clearing keyboard such as is used in a calculator machine. i

From the rock shaft |35 another arm Ii connects to the Bowden wire I, as shown in Fig. l, for the release of the detent H0 shown and described in connection with Fig. 6. The detent which holds the low speed clutch in engagement is not essential but, in case it is used, the Bowden wire connection will provide for its release when the `nkeyboard is' cleared preliminary to another selecting operation.l l' claim:` f i" 1. A closed driving systemwhich includes a pair of reels, a flexible connecting means having its ends wound upon the respective reels for the I transmission` of motionirom one to the other and a'second connecting'Nmeansropp'osed' as to tension to the' connecting vmeai-1s`--iirst mentioned and ex-tending between said reels for the transmission of motion therebetween, said second connecting means -comprising :an endless flexible member inlsubstantially positive driving connection to each of the reels andfhavingftworuns therebetween, andv take-up-,devices about` which said member passes in each of said runs, each of said runs having suicient Yslack to accommodate changes in relative rates of reel operation p as the member rst mentioned is wound from one to the other and said take-up devices being subject tobias in a direction and suliciently strong to take up all slack in the respective runs of said second flexible member,V wherebyto draw the lirst iiexible member taut between said reels under substantially all operating conditions; together with reversible power driving connections rto said system for the operation of said reels reversibly.

2.* A driving organization comprising the combination'with a pair of reels Iand a tape having its ends wound upon the respective reels to be wound and unwound thereon for the transmissionof motion therebetween, sprockets connected with the respective-reels to partake of such motion, an endless chain operating over the sprockets and provided with separate runs between said sprockets with suliicient slack in` each run to accommodate relative movement of said reels as said tape winds and unwinds with respect thereto, take-up sprockets in the respective, runs of said chain', a biasing element connected with one prising 'seconda-ryreels onthe respective'r elsv and a iiexibl'e' tension member wound upon the respective reels for movement from; one reel. to the other in accordance with' the'movement f the conveyor from one 'reel to the Aother, thei'ra'dii of the respective reels being proportioned tothe radiiof their associated 'reels'in the same"ati as the proportion of vthe thickness of the tension member to that of the conveyor.

5. The combination with a conveyor and a plurality of rotatable supports therefor, of driving means for actuating each support primarily, said driving means being adapted to actuate said supports in opposite directions, drivingr connections from onev support to the other for secondarily actuating the respective supports in directions opposite to that in whichthey are respectively actuated by the driving means first mentioned,

wherebyv both of the supports are positively driven independently of the conveyor in both directionsI of operation, the conveyor being floated without driving load therebetween.

6. The combination with a conveyorand a pairk of reels to which the ends of the conveyor are connected, whereby said conveyor may be wound from either of said reels onto the other, separate driving means for primarily actuating the respective reels in opposite directions, and secondary driving means between the two reels for driving of the take-up sprockets' for removing slack from a run of said chain and for maintaining said tape taut between said reels, said take-up sprockets having opposite movement in the operation of said reels as the slack of one ofvsaid runsdecreases while the slack of the other increases, and a connection from said biasing element to the other take-up sprocket comprising a spring,

the reaction of which supplements the action of the biasing element and provides bias on the other take-up sprocket. v

3. The combination with a pair of reels adapted to receive a web for winding from one to the other, oi means for driving said reels in both directions irrespective of the presence or absence of such web at a rate such as to maintain an approximately constant linear rate of movement for the web if present, said means comprising secondary reels connected with the respective reels rst mentioned to operate in accordance therewith, a iiexible tension element having its ends connected upon the respective secondary reels to be wound and unwound therefrom at the same linear rate at which the web winds and unwinds respecting the reels first mentioned, the effective diameter of the secondary reels with the said tension element wound thereon being variable at a rate proportioned to the rate of variation of eiective diameter of the reels first mentioned when said web is wound thereon, and a second connection between said reels comprising a tension member having its tension opposed to the tension of' said flexible element and provided with means for taking up slack in the the other reel from vthe reel primarily actuated, said secondary driving means including mechanism for proportioning the rate of 'secondary reel operation to the vconveyor le upon the respective reels whereby the conveyor is substantially iioated between said reels without substantial driving stress.

7. The combination in mechanism for reproducing a record from a strip, of reels upon which the ends of said strip are wound, supplemental reels connected with said first mentioned reels, respectively, a tape having its ends wound upon the supplemental reels, said tape and supplemental reels being so proportioned dimensionally as to maintain coils upon the supplemental reels proportionate in diameter to the coils of said strip upon the reelsrst mentioned, and supplemental driving connections between said reels for the transmission to each reel of motion from the other reel when such other reel is primarily actuated, said supplemental driving connections `including slack take-up mechanism, and driving sponds vto the ratio of coils of said strip upon the reels rst mentioned, sprockets connected with the'respectivepairs of reels for rotation therewith, an endless chain operable over the respective sprockets and having idler means for taking up slack in portions of said chain between said sprockets, and means operable upon said member for driving the respective pairs of reels and associated sprockets and thereby advancing said strip from one of the reels rst mentioned to the other, said driving means being reversible.

9. Driving connections, comprising the combination with a winding shaft and an unwinding shaft, of reels upon the respective shafts, a flexible connector having its ends connected with the respective reels and wound upon at least one thereof, and means for driving the assembly of reels, shafts and connector, said means including a counterconnection between the respective shafts comprising rotors upon the respective shafts, an endless flexible member passing above one of said rotors and below theother and having intervening iiights, each of which includes slack, together with means for taking up the slack in each of said flights.

JEROME L. CLOUGH.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v 

